Self-retaining leg mount for furniture



Sept. 18, 1951 R. E. MILLER SELF-RETAINING LEG MOUNT FOR FURNITURE FiledFeb. 28, 1950 INVENTOR. 05527 5 M74152 Patented Sept. 18, 1951SELF-RETAINING LEG MOUNT FOB.

FURNITURE Robert Ellis Miller,:Bronxville, N/Y.

i Application February 2 This invention relates to appliances for thelegs of furniture and specifically to an improved leg mount on which thefurniture is adapted to move substantially noiselessly over the floor.

Heretofore, furniture leg mounts have been constructed with invertedU-type retainer devices so that when the mount is pushed into a hole inthe bottom of the furniture leg, the ends of the inverted U will restagainst the side walls of the hole. The friction between the ends of thein verted U and the side walls of the leg hole impedes the withdrawal ofthe mount from the leg. In some instances a notch or rim has been formedin the side walls of the leg hole to accommodate the engaging ends ofthe retainer. These prior mounts are not entirely satisfactory forvarious reasons, among which are their inability to remain firmly inplace when the leg hole does not conform in size or shape to the holefor which the mount is designed, their lack of noise-insulatingqualities, and their complexity.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a furnitureleg mountwhich overcomes these disadvantages of the prior mounts.

A leg mount made according to my invention comprises a metal cap orother floor-engaging element secured to a resilient member, which may beof rubber. The cap is adapted to rest 'upon and move over the floorsurface, the resilient member being interposed between the cap and thebottom of the furniture leg to provide acushioning action. An assemblypin projects upwardly from the cushion through a retainer seat supportedby the cushion and extending into the hole in the bottom of thefurniture leg when the mount is in place. Above the seat is a retainerin the form of a polygonal piece of flexible material, preferably springmetal, which is secured to the pin and held thereby against the seat.The corners of the retainer protrude laterally from the seat and impingeacutely upon the side walls of the leg hole so that a firm bite intothese walls is obtained as the mounting is pushed into place.

With this construction, when the retainer is forced upwardly into theleg hole by pressure on the bottom of the mount, the side walls of thehole will flex the outer or corner parts of the retainer .downwardlymore or less, depending upon the size and shape of the hole. Thus, theretainer provides the necessary bite to hold the mount firmly in place,regardless of whether the hole is round or square and even though thesize of the hole does not conform to a certain standard. Also, in thedownward flexing of the outer parts 8,1950, Serial No. 146,808 6 Claims.(01. 16-42) of the retainer as it is pushed into the hole, the centralpart acts on the pin to raise the assembly pin away from the bottom capand enhance the noise-insulating quality of the mount. When the pressureused to insert the mount is released, the corners of the retainer areautomatically pressed with greater force against the side walls of thehole, due to expansion of the cushion.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of apreferred form of the new mount;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the mount locked in placein a furniture leg, and

Fig. 3 is a top view of the mount shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing, the mount comprises a'floor-engaging elementlwhich, as illustrated, is in the form of a metal guide shoe. The shoeis secured to an overlying cushion 2, which may be made of rubber, as byturning the edges of the shoe inwardly into a circumferential recess lain the cushion. Above the cushion and supported by it is a metal basemember 3 forming a laterally projecting-shoulder which is engageablewith the bottom of, the furniture leg, as will be described presently.

A rubber washer 4 rests on top of the base memher 3 and is adapted toenter the hole in the bottom of the furniture leg. At its upper end, thewasher 4 forms a seat 4a for a polygonal retainer 5 of flexiblematerial, preferably spring metal. As shown, the retainer 5 isrectangular. Its corners protrude outwardly from the seat member orwasher I and are normally curved downwardly. The assembly is heldtightly together by a keeper, such as a nut 6, on the upper part of apin or bolt 1 extending upwardly from the cushion through openings inthe base member 3, the washer 4 and the retainer 5. The head Id of theassembly pin is located between the cushion and the shoe l but is:normally spaced from the latter.

When the upper part of the mount is engaged in the hole 8a of afurniture leg 8, the corners of the spring metal retainer 5 are forceddownward as necessary to adapt the mount to the internal dimensions andform of the leg hole 811. That is, the smaller the space in which theretainer 5 is confined, the more the corners of the retainer will beflexed downward by engagement with the side walls of the hole 8a whenthe retainer is forced upwardly into the hole. The retainer is forcedinto the leg hole, by pressure applied absorb shocks and vibrationsincident to moving to the bottom of the shoe l, until the shoulder ofthe base member 3 engages the bottom of the furniture leg. Due to thedownward flexing of the outer parts of the retainer 5 when it is 5 tomof a furniture leg, which comprises a floor pushed into the hole 8a, thecentral part of the retainer acts upon the nut 6 to draw the bolt or pinhead 1a away from the shoe I and further the furniture.

I claim: 1. A mount for insertion in a hole in the botengaging element,a cushion secured to said element and positioned thereon to lie betweenthe bottom of ,Jtheleg and. said element, a retainer compress thecushion; When the upward presseat of flexible; compressible materialEsupported sure against the bottom of shoe 1 has been re- 10 by thecushion and adapted to enter said hole, after agement of base member 3with 171 an assembly pin projecting upwardly from the the bottom of thefurniture leg, the rubber parts hi and through th Seat, and polygonal 2and 4 will expand and act to-drawvthezc'entral fi exibleqretainersecured t t pin d h m P Of e ta e 5 downward, thereby-i11- *--therebywith its central portion against the comcreasing the pressure betweenthe corners.011th .Hppressibleseat; the retainer having sharp cornersretainer and the side walls of the hole 8a. This protruding laterallyfro t t and being increases the biting ofmthes-iretainemzcorners g of.a;ha,rd;-ma,teria1 of suflicient size to into the side walls of theh0le,so thatla firmer grip is obtained between the mount and the leg ahe p nt A. V,

f The sharpflcorriers" Ofj thG spring-retainer 5 proyide -betterholdingiqualities than an ordinary flat surface or toe engaging thesidewalls of-the hole-Ba dueto the fact that all :ofthe-pressurre V i'of -the spring 5- is-concentra tecl at foun=pointsx 2bmquntiaccordingwclaim wllinwm-clrrthe {lhe oblique angle; at Y whichthe;retainer-spring 5 approaches the walls of the-leg hole 8a; affords astrong- "resistance; to buckling of the spring when a withdrawing-=force; is applied to"; the

cause. said corners to engage and bite into the 0 side walls of the leghole.

, 2. A mount according. to claimvl, in .which the retainer is a.rectangular sheet of: spring "metal.

3. Aimo unt accordingto claim 1', in which the corners of the'retainer,are normally bowed downward.

,pin lias a .head disposed' between the; cushion and-theflooreengaging-element; but spa'cedfi'om said element. V

5. A mount according to claim 1, comprising mount, ascontrastedwithmr-iof m u -W r also a rigidbase; member interposed'betweenithe a comparatively weak pull will buckle the' retai nr;Moreover,the-hew'mount'can be applied with equal facility tofurniturelegshayinge bottorh-holes of round or -squ are crosssectibmanda #of differentsizes; and 'incases 'wherethe ho1es= 6.'A' mount aeq di tm :1-;- p 1 m are of square or rectangular cross section-the cornersof-=- the retainer "-5- maybeengaged with either the flats-or thecorners defining -the;l 1ole.

"-Thus,- -the-mount is ipractica'lly universal in its application, andwhe'n it has beenappliedto; the-"* --leg hole, regardless cf-its-formor' {w hatever its size may be, within-reasonable limits; the stronggripping action ofthe corners of the spring reta'inerinsure againstaccidentalgemoval of-'- the mount fromthe leg.

\ The sound-insulating- -properties" of the new mount arehighly-effective as a result of; the I floatingor cushioned couplingbewteen' the shoe I and the spring retainer 5.f Aspreviously-mentioned;rth e fiexing 0fthe -retainer actsto draw 7215-5329the assembly pin-l eway fr om themetal shoe ,1, ll and this insuresagainst metal-tometal contact between these parts. fThe cushion 2-serves-to 'keep the mount tight at all times, as Well es-to compressibleretainer seat andithe cushion; and

engageable with the legbottom aroundfthehole,

also a -,1 eeper= on "th pirr'en aging the retainer d n rm lly heldt'the' cushion" and';the;'seat P compressedbetween the keeperiand"the'f'lower end'of the'pin.

"-ZREEERENGESiCITED The following-referencesare" of record in the"file-of" this patentz r ,SIATES PATENTS,

' Date I 303E311; ELLIS MILLER?

